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August 13, 2016

How Attitude is a Game Changer, part 2

“A
strong positive attitude will create more miracles than any wonder drug.”—author
unknown

Life is not a flat line of peace and
comfort. Truthfully, in medical terms, if a person “flatlines”, it means their
heart has stopped functioning. The individual is considered clinically dead.

The secondary definitions of
“flatline”, according to Merriam-Webster online, are “to be in a state of no
progress or advancement” and “to come to an end.”

Who wants to be dead, or flatlined, in
a state of monotony? Nobody.

The reality is that none of us are
guaranteed a life of uninterrupted bliss and tranquility. We must all learn to
deal with mountains and valleys. In truth, trials are the only way we
are pushed to change and improve. They are the prime method to uncover our
hidden strength.

Life is all about attitude. It doesn’t
matter whether our external situation is full of joy or sorrow. Life is about
how we choose to feel inside
ourselves.

Examples of Stable People Despite the
Odds

Jennifer—recently learned that her accountant made some mistakes that
could, possibly, force her to declare bankruptcy. This is the only the latest
setback in a lifetime of unbelievable challenges. This friend’s trials
have made her into the most stable person I know.

Francis—lives in a small town where the main religion differs from
hers. Most of the other residents have no desire to hear the truth about her
misunderstood beliefs. For years, she has been subject to disrespect. She
has made the conscious choice not to be offended.

“Fairness is an
illusion. Fairness never existed and never will. No one in life gets less or
more than anyone else. We just get different stuff. That’s right. No one is
dealt a bad or a good hand in life; we’re just dealt cards. It’s up to us to
stay in the game and play. Sure, some cards look ‘better’, but they’re really
not. If you look closely, you’ll see that anything you feel has been taken from
you—or never given to you at all—was replaced with other amazing opportunities
and gifts. It’s up to you to find them.”—Sean Stephenson, Get off Your
“But”

************

“The art of thinking
is the greatest art of all, for ‘as a man thinketh in his heart, so is he.’ The
thinker knows he is today where his thoughts have taken him and that he is
building his future by the quality of the thoughts he thinks.”—Wilfred
Peterson, The Art of Living

************

“One of the finest
beliefs I developed years ago that helped me to enjoy all of my life experience
was the idea that there are no bad experiences, that no matter what I go
through in life—whether it’s a challenging experience or a pleasurable
one—every experience provides me something of value if I look for it.”—Anthony
Robbins, Awaken the Giant Within

*************

“You may not control
all the events that happen to you, but you can decide not to be reduced by
them.”—Maya Angelou

************

“Our mind is the
foundation of all our actions, whether they are actions of body, speech, or
mind, i.e., thinking. Whatever we think, say, or do arises from our mind. What
our consciousness consumes becomes the substance of our life, so we have to be
very careful which nutrients we ingest.”—Thich Nhat Hanh, Savor

************

“There is really no
reason to suffer. The only reason you suffer is because you choose to suffer.
If you look at your life you will find many excuses to suffer, but a good
reason to suffer you will not find. The same is true for happiness. The only
reason you are happy is because you choose to be happy. Happiness is a choice,
and so is suffering.”—Don Miguel Ruiz, The Four Agreements

************

“True happiness comes
not when we get rid of all of our problems, but when we change our relationship
to them, when we see our problems as a potential source of awakening,
opportunities to practice, and to learn.”—Richard Carlson, Don’t Sweat
the Small Stuff

The Bible

“Do not lie to each other,
since you have taken off your old self with its practices and have put on the
new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of Christ.”—Colossians
3:9-10 (NIV)

My Conclusion

Life is rarely fair. Some of us are
dealt hands that may seem to limit us severely. However, we always have
the choice to see our trials as opportunities for being catapulted to new,
unforeseen, levels--or despondency.